Adventures from a quarter century of skating observations by professional communicators who are also skating parents.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Sochi Sojourn Part Five: Everything You Wanted to Know and Weren't Afraid to Ask

So much of our experience during competition has been well chronicled. In fact, the reports, blogs, Tweets and posts actually made it difficult for me to find a way to talk about our experiences outside of what happened. It was a conundrum. The only seeming solution was to reach out to some wonderful friends to see what THEY wanted to know about our experience in Sochi. Since I've shared so much, and since so much (true and not-so-much) had been reported, I felt friends would truly have the questions that needed to be answered.

I was correct.

Below are some wonderful queries that made me think; made me wonder and made me both smile - and shed a tear or two. Here is "Everything You Wanted to Know and Weren't Afraid to Ask About Sochi." Q: Did you truly feel safe at all
time or were you ever scared since the riots on independence square and people
of interest were but few hundreds of miles away?

A: We never felt threatened; quite
the opposite. There is something about Olympics that brings people together
like no other event could possibly do. Peace and harmony through sports: That’s
what the Olympics embody. That’s truly what we felt while were in Sochi. There
was nationalism, but that’s true at all events.It is a very special thing when, despite political differences, the
world can come together.

Q: Compared to other Olympics
did you feel that less people were there, when I saw pics of the streets or
events it seemed somewhat empty?

A: We were there right after opening
ceremonies. Most of the sports were in qualifying rounds early on; not figure
skating, however. The first few days it did seem a bit strange. It was the “Russian
Olympics,” with very few spectators from other countries. By the time we
departed, it was a global happening that was more like Vancouver was in 2010.
The issue with Sochi was not whether people stayed away, but the distance away.
We flew 20 hours to get there. By anyone’s standards, that’s a schlep! Once we
arrived, it was the trip of a lifetime that we got to take twice.

Q: Were you able to enjoy any of the
other sports during your time in Sochi?

A: We were offered tickets to a
number of events, but because of what happened to our son, and the media and
sponsor requests we were honored to do, we actually only saw one other event:
Long track speed skating. What an incredible experience to sit in the Adler
arena, amidst the Dutch fans, and watch the initial trial events. It was
incredible. We wanted to go to curling because I became obsessed with the sport
during the US Team trials on TV, but tickets were sold out. The arena was small
and access was at a premium. We were offered hockey tickets, however the games
were during practice ice or at competition times. The Mountain Cluster was not
close so, once again, we didn’t get to see any snow events. That’s my only
regret from both Olympic experiences. I hope to remedy that in South Korea
where I would dearly love to volunteer for the USOC or the Olympic Committee in
some capacity. I love South Korea, so it’s a natural fit for me to want to attend
in 2018.

Q: What was your favorite thing about
Sochi that had nothing directly to do about the competitions directly?

A: Oh, that’s simple. We love discovering new wine
and in Sochi we were able to get wine from Cuba and Russia. It almost felt “illegal”
to sample wines from countries not easily accessible to us. We truly enjoyed
having a chance to do that. Remember, we are products of the Cold War so this
was a true treat.

The other favorite thing about
Sochi was the sunsets. The Black Sea is beautiful. The beaches are rock, not
sand, and when wet, they absolutely glistened at the close of day. It was one
of the most beautiful sights I’ve seen.

Q:What was
the biggest comfort of home you missed having/doing while traveling?"

A: COFFEE!! Oh, there was coffee, of
sorts. We attempted coffee once or twice, but it was the color of that infamous
“water” photo posted by some member of the media on Twitter before the Games
began. We drank lots of bottled sparkling water and the occasional Diet Coke
(Lite Coke) when we needed a caffeine boost.

Here’s a funny story: Our son came
to meet us after practice one day. He was carrying a Starbucks cup. We nearly
tackled him to find out where he got coffee. He brought his own Via with him.
The cup had come from NBC. It seems they had their own stealth Starbucks –
complete with Baristas – imported from the US. If you thought pin trading was a
big thing at Olympics, "black market" Starbucks was the coveted prize! Even
though we were in the Today Show Green Room one day, we never found the Holy
Grail of coffee.

We flew back through Frankfurt on
the way home. The MOMENT we got off the plane, we made a beeline to the main
terminal and found Starbucks. I was sick as a dog with a sinus infection and I was on antibiotic. It didn’t matter. Addiction
is addiction.Antibiotics and Puffs be
damned! It didn’t matter that I couldn’t taste anything. It was COFFEE! It was
Starbucks! It’s a First World Skate Mom Problem and the solution was at hand.
After eight straight days of caffeine deprivation, this was heaven!

Q: What's the one thing you could have done
without after eight days in Sochi?

A: Hearing “Sleduyushchaya
ostanovka ..” (the next stop is…) 14 times a day going to and from Sochi to the
Olympic Coastal Cluster on the bus. It was burned into our brains. I still
hear it in my sleep!

Q: What was your favorite experience?

A: There were so many that were on an
equal level. I’ve already talked about
discovering Cuban and Russian wine.I
will never forget the sunset walk in Sochi and dinner along the walkway at a
small café. I also found my now famous “Fuzzy Bunny Slippers,” the joy of my
life.

We were so honored to be asked to
represent Olympic families with US Olympic sponsors.

I got to meet Bonnie Blair, who
actually introduced herself to me. I found that amusing since she’s an idol of
mine. We were asked to talk to sponsors as Olympic moms. I had to leave for the
freeskate and Bonnie took my place. As I was being ushered out of the event and
escorted to the Iceberg Arena because the men’s completion was already underway,
Bonnie turned to me and said, “I’m honored to meet you. I’m Bonnie Blair Cruikshank.
I can’t believe what your son did! Good luck to him tonight!” The impact of
that simple statement didn’t hit me until the next day.

Q: Which Olympics was more exciting
and enjoyable and why?

A: These experiences were wildly
different. Vancouverwas our first trip
to the top of Olympus. We didn’t know what to expect; we hadn’t received much
information and we were left to our own devices to a great degree. Sochi was completely different.

US Figure Skating started
preparing us for this trip well in advance of our even knowing if we’d be
attending. We had webinars every month beginning in August. We had information;
we had questions answered. We were as prepared as anyone could be to go
half-way around the world and into a political “danger zone” in order to attend
the Games. We also had the great advantage of having been to the “Top of the
Mountain” before. We found ourselves in the enviable position of being able to advise
new parents about what to expect, where to go and who to rely on. While each
experience is unique,

there are trusted “known” elements – like P &G
Family Home and the USA House. These were our safe houses; the places with
internet, old friends from home, smiling faces, big hugs and warm hearts. We couldn’t have survived without them
in Vancouver, and we really would not have survived without them in Sochi.

To a great degree, though, I’d say
Sochi was the most enjoyable. We had experience, and that meant the world to us.
While we loved Vancouver (personally my favorite city on the planet), we went
into our second Olympics with experience. You can't understate the value of that.

Q: Top Five “Yea’s and Nays” in
regard to the differences between Sochi and Vancouver.

Sochi – Lack of ability to
communicate with the volunteers, the sheer distance between venues within the
park, lack of understandable signage, lack of COFFEE!!

Vancouver – Transportation (it was
a hot mess), lack of pre-Olympic information caused us to waste at lot of
time; distance between venues within the city made it nearly impossible to
attend other events, even if you were offered tickets. There was a severe lack of communication and there was no financial
support. Thank GOODNESS for the help that was graciously provided this year by every family through the
Destination Sochi: Family Tree program this year.(If you donated: THANK YOU on behalf of all the families! You made this happen!)

Q: Have you watched any of the
Paralympics on TV?

A: I am a huge fan of Paralympics. I
was a blind ski guide in Aspen for years. I watched as much as I could and was
so grateful that NBC and NBCSN broadcast hours on TV, along with being able to
watch on the internet when broadcasts were not available.

Q: Do you foresee a time when
adaptive athletes will compete in winter sports directly against able bodied
athletes ?

A: Yes, but it will depend on the
sport.To me, it isn’t as much a matter
of adaptive athletes against able-bodied athletes; it’s about being an Olympic
athlete and representingyour country.
All athletes have my total respect.I
know what we’ve gone through to raise an Olympian. I can only imagine what
Paralympic parents have had to do. It truly humbles me.

Q: What did you see of Russian
culture that gives you hope for the future?

A: The youth. There were more than
30,000 volunteers at the Olympics – most of them young people in their 20’s. I
saw the eyes of the future of Russia in Sochi.

Q: What was your favorite Olympic moment?

A: I suspect you’d think it was
watching my son rise like a phoenix after the short program and go on to honor
his sport and the Olympic spirit by finishing, even though he was injured.
While that was certainly a pivotal moment of which I am extremely proud, my favorite
moment came right after the short program skate when a young woman from Kazakhstan
who was sitting next to me, realized I who I was. She was so moved by what
happened – and so attuned to the fact that I was upset and frantic for word on
how my son was doing – she turned to me and in broken English asked if she
could give me a hug. We held on to one
another and we both cried. It was a moment I will never forget.That one act of kindness from a complete and
total stranger, defined what the Olympics truly mean.

In retrospect, Sochi was so much more than I expected it to be, but for many different reasons. While we also left with many questions about Russia, the people and daily life outside of the Olympic experience, we also left with a great respect for the history and the culture. The Black Sea is truly beautiful. The people are proud; the culture is genetic. But in my opinion, ultimately, like China, the eyes of the world will be the final judge of what happens in the future. Olympics open up vast possibilities that truly transcend politics IF politicians allow it to be so. In the end, I think I saw the eyes of the world in the fresh, young faces of the Russian Olympic volunteers. If I am any kind of a judge of character, I'd say the future will be much brighter than the past because the Olympic experience is a present that cannot be manipulated - nor its lessons ignored. Thank you Sochi. Thank you Russia. I hope you realize what a change you made, not only in us, but deeply within your very heart and soul.

Allison, thank you so much for your posts! Not only for this one in particular, but for your blog in general.Your posts are always funny, well-written and, what is the most important, heart-warming. Reading your blog calms me down for some reason (and I start panicking easily these days, so having something that makes my day better is a must), and gives hope for the best.You teach without teaching about importance of being more forgiving, accepting and loving, and that's something I want to thank you for, but can't find the right words. I'd give you a hug, but that's impossible. So I wanted you to know that I'm very glad that I have found your blog, and what you do as a person, parent and a blogger is very important and has an impact. I wish you all the best and can't wait for your next blogpost!

Allison, thank you so much for your posts! Not only for this one in particular, but for your blog in general.Your posts are always funny, well-written and, what is the most important, heart-warming. Reading your blog calms me down for some reason (and I start panicking easily these days, so having something that makes my day better is a must), and gives hope for the best.You teach without teaching about importance of being more forgiving, accepting and loving, and that's something I want to thank you for, but can't find the right words. I'd give you a hug, but that's impossible. So I wanted you to know that I'm very glad that I have found your blog, and what you do as a person, parent and a blogger is very important and has an impact. I wish you all the best and can't wait for your next blogpost!